Savion marries the soul of tap dancing and the passion of flamenco in SoLo iN TiME
Savion Glover, a living tap legend, graced the stage of The Music Center at Strathmore on Wednesday, February 16th — entertaining the hearts, ears, and souls of the several thousand people who were lucky to be a part of the packed house audience that night — with his performance titled SoLo iN TiME. SoLo iN TiME is an extension of the HooFeRz CLub tradition of creating music with tap dancing’s percussiveness by using tap as sound, sound as dance, and dance as story. Paying a tribute to the percussiveness of flamenco through demonstrating the relationship between flamenco music and tap dancing as song, Glover was accompanied by the newly launched GAL XC 9, live flamenco rhythms, and his very own Hooferz style. SoLo iN TiME takes us on a ‘sole’-ful journey exploring a mosaic of sounds and vibes throughout the history of tap dance and the various forms of flamenco.
Learning to tap dance in cowboy boots, Glover began his journey to tap greatness when he made his Broadway debut at the age of 10, starring in The Tap Dance Kid, a musical based on the novel Nobody’s Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh. His identity as a youth tap genius became solidified and widespread at the age of 13 when he made his film debut in Tap with the legendary tap dancing greats, Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. At 15, he earned the historic title of being one of the youngest males ever nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor for his role in Black and Blue, a play that celebrates the talents of black musicians, singers, and dancers.
Several years later at the age of 18, he scored the major role of Young Jelly in the Broadway play, Jelly’s Last Jam, a musical on a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson. Being a part of this musical, which was based on the life and career of Morton who is known as being one of the principal driving forces behind the introduction of Jazz into American society, propelled Glover more and more into tap dancing stardom and promulgated his identity as a major figure in the contemporary African American arts community.
In 1996, Glover received the Tony Award for his choreography in the acclaimed Broadway hit Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk and received a nomination for Best Actor for this musical also. On TV, he teamed with the cast of Sesame Street and was a series regular for five seasons. Additionally, he was the genius choreographer for the acclaimed Academy Award-winning animated film, Happy Feet.
Since then, Savion has established his own production company, Savion Glover Productions, promulgates the tradition of tap dancing and sound as well as the idea that “all students have a right to an arts education as a fundamental part of basic education. “
In SoLo iN TiME, Glover has found the perfect marriage between his tap as sound, sound as dance, and dance as story musical approach and the raw passion of flamenco.
For more information on other events and performances at Strathmore, visit their event calendar at http://www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar.asp
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